It’s the season of goodwill once again, season of sharing, season of gratitude. Gratitude to God for seeing us through the vicissitudes of 2016. Whenever I come across the inscription, ‘many have gone’, one of the comical, but sometimes educative messages on Nigerian commercial buses and trucks, I get amused, but cannot agree less. Many have indeed passed on. And may God bless the souls of the departed, especially our gallant soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice, fighting the band of hoodlums called Boko Haram. Those of us still on this side and in this space should make everyday count for ourselves, families, neighbours and nation. And those at the helms of affairs in our nation should make the year count for all of us. Public office at any level is not a child’s play. Anyone who seeks the people’s mandate and gets elected must strive to meet the expectations of the electors.
The New Year presents the Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration another opportunity to make a positive impact in the life of the nation and the citizens.
The government has since it mounted the saddle been pre-occupied with ending insurgency, tackling corruption and reigniting the depressed economy. It will be uncharitable to say that nothing has been achieved since this government came to power. Just the same way I had contended that former president Goodluck Jonathan did not spend all his time in government doing nothing as some would want us to believe, I know that the current administration too has been trying its best to keep the nation afloat and sailing.
Only an unfair assessor would not appreciate the successes so far recorded in the fight against Boko Haram. We have had two Christmas and New Year seasons so far under the Buhari administration. The insurgents had been so effectively subdued that they could not wreak the kind of vicious havoc previously unleashed on innocent citizens, particularly churchgoers. There may still be occasional attacks on soft targets, but forget the runaway cowardly Abubakar Shekau’s threat that his gang of hoodlums had not been defeated. His days are numbered. Soon, this blood-sucking demon will be captured by our troops and be made to pay for his heinous crimes.
But while it deserves all the accolades for routing the Boko Haram, the Buhari government did not do well with the handling of the Shi’ite massacre and the killings in Southern Kaduna. The leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Ibrahim El-zakzaky remains in detention without trial. Nothing is done about his followers who were killed in their hundreds. There is also the case of IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu and Biafra agitators. One wonders whether the administration does not think alienating some sections of the populace may be a problem when the APC goes back to the polls in 2019.
The Buhari government has scored itself a pass mark in the anti-corruption war. Yes, we have seen several of yesterday’s big men arraigned. We have also read about huge amounts of loots recovered. My grouse about the anti-corruption war is breach of the rule of law in the process.
For instance, I do not understand why the former national Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki would be kept in detention in spite of several court rulings admitting him to bail. A government fighting for the enthronement of law has no justification not to respect the rule of law.
More importantly, President Buhari needs to know that the war against corruption will only make a meaning to the ordinary citizens when those robbing them of their hard-earned money as opposed to public funds are stopped. These are policemen and other government officials who use their privileged positions to extort money; the yahoo-yahoo boys preying on bank account holders to steal money from their victims’ bank accounts and kidnappers, killer cattle herdsmen and rustlers who rob, kill and maim innocent citizens.
In the area of economy and infrastructural development, the government has been reeling out figures and pictures to back up massive rehabilitation of roads across the country. There are also activities in the power sector, petroleum, agriculture, et cetera. However, the earlier this government realises that Nigerians will judge its performance beyond projects and programmes, and takes steps to meet their expectations, the better. For instance, even if the government through its incremental power takes electricity generation to 10,000mw, Nigerians would continue to grumble and heap blames on Buhari, if electricity distribution companies fail to provide pre-paid meters and consumers are still compelled to pay estimated bills. In many communities, residents are contributing money to buy electricity transformers and poles, which the DISCOs are supposed to provide. To these citizens, Buhari’s administration is responsible for their woes.
As we begin the 2017 journey today, I urge the administration to re-examine its commitments to the people. I have a strong feeling that with the way we are going, even if Buhari spends eight years in power, many Nigerians would still not be pleased with his achievements. This will not be because he would not have performed creditably, but for his failing to meet the expectations of the people.
Re: The ban on vehicle imports through land borders
Policy summersault has been the forte of our economic gatekeepers in Nigeria. Why is it that importers choose neighbouring country’s ports? We pretend that we don’t know as different agencies fleece and extort money from those who still choose our seaports for business. Let’s see how it works out. You have laid the pros and cons bare. It’s left for our economic gatekeepers, who have been dubbed mediocre to check how it turns out. Nigerians are on the ground already. God save Nigeria.
08036631***
Abdulfatah, Nigeria is a country where continuum principle in government is aberration and, therefore, irrelevant. That lent credence to reversal of land importation of motor vehicles by PMB’s government without conceivable reasons or justification. Your submission that such an action will reduce revenue and enhance smuggling is unquestionable; given only “7.5% of land border crossings with approved posts manned by immigration officials and other security agencies” with 92.5% of porous borders at smugglers’ beck and call. No Nigerian would claim ignorance of smuggling, like corruption, being a lucrative and professional enterprise, which responds promptly to any change in government’s action that attempts to put a wedge on their path. And it takes a government, led by a sound and experienced leader, to outplay the smartness of such a bunch of intelligent criminals with international knowledge in smuggling activities.
What is more, it is not impossible that some of the people behind the ban also have their hands in smuggling. Nigeria’s seaports are known for holding ships well over stipulated time to discharge their cargoes.
That attracts extra charges, which add to prices of such goods in the end. If importation of vehicles is restricted to seaports, only God knows whether Nigerians would ever be able to buy vehicles of their choice in the end.
The ruling government has introduced many fraudulent and insensitive taxes on bank customers’ accounts that one wonders what stimulates such devices for revenue generation. Yet Discos charge as high as ten thousand naira monthly for electricity supply not worth a thousand naira for the same period.
And Government has done or said nothing on that. Where and when is there hope for Nigerians under this government for God’s sake? God save us o, Amen.
–Lai Ashadele.
My Prof sir, permit me to repeat my question of last week. Can a welder do a carpenter’s work? No.
The CCG must be a Customs officer who was employed in that office. l said it last week that an Army Colonel can never perform well in the Customs as the job is not warfront.
The water in Cotonou, is it not the same water in Nigeria? Can’t we reduce our own charges and reform our processes to attract other countries to import and export cars and other items through Nigerian ports?
–Longinus Otumbadi lhedinihu